Doors re-open at The Sovereign restaurant in Creemore

The Sovereign is back in business.

The new owner, Cyndie Gordon, in partnership with chefs Chris Wegener and Shaun Elliot, is keeping with the popular Creemore restaurant’s roots.

Gordon, also the owner of Victorian Values, said she was the first waitress hired at the restaurant when it was opened by Asta and Geza Csanyi in 1979.

“It has been a place where our family has eaten for 35 years,” she said. “I didn’t want to see the restaurant fade into the sunset.”

The Gordons were among Creemore’s earliest settlers and once owned the feed mill.

The Sovereign, said Gordon, is an original landmark fine dining establishment on Creemore’s main street and its closing earlier this year offered not only a business opportunity, but also a chance to resurrect the restaurant to which she has an emotional attachment.

Gordon said people will recognize the traditional European fare such as Wiener Schnitzel, cabbage rolls, Hungarian goulash and chicken paprikash made using the recipes developed by the Csanyis.

“People will not be able to distinguish a difference between now and then. I can’t. In 1979, a schnitzel will taste the same today as it did back then,” said Gordon.

“We’re starting with the basics and we are building on that.”

New menu items are being added each week. The restaurant, with the new name of Sovereign Bistro and Grill, is currently open for dinner but there are plans to add lunch and brunch on the weekends.

The Sovereign Bistro and Grill is located at 157 Mill Street.